http://mountainbikemilitia.com/

I was afraid I might be a vegisexual treehugging technoweenie boy and that the site would hurt me… but there’s no acknowledgement of the female gender at all However, I only got as far as the second paragraph on the front page, which siad, get out and ride, so I am. I’ll look deeper if I need bed rest…

There’s breathtaking beauty in the well-formed body,
stretching itself and moving in grace.
I follow behind, joyous breathless clamber
With help from the draft, I’m keeping the pace.

There’s beauty as breathtaking, looking around
At the very imperfect, the lame and unsound
Takes as much if not more of harmonious focus
To braid fragments together… we would do well to notice

I should catch up to my car today or tomorrow… time to get back out and go into the wind…

We had a delicious ride tonight, the kind you can only have with people you’ve ridden a lot with and have a genuine compatibility with. I led us out of town and over the Kirby overpass, but whne the light turned yellow, I was the one who stopped… and after that I got to be pulled and just sit back and enjoy the view. Okay, whilst pedaling my bazoongas off.
We’d cruised to teh “if we go the extra mile we’re going to have to ride faster” point and went the extra mile, then turned into the 10mph wind, just enough to get me to that “ya know, even drafting, I’m not sure I can keep this up.”
And ten seconds later, that sweet anticipation because I remember what happens when I think that. That’s exactly the pace that I *can* keep up and it feel soooo good. Okay, every time the pace slowed down a hair I just slowed down – none of this “I’ll take a turn” silliness. Hey, nobody else did, either.
We paused for a breather about 2/3 of the distance… and I started out in the lead but then this one-legged rider goes haulin’ past me. Switches legs and he’s still a-cruisin’ I called out he needed to tie one hand behind his back, too, and he said “then how will I switch into a higher gear???”
Spring is here
Then we got back into town and I got to lead ’cause it was getting dark and my lights the brightest.
there was something about it that reminded me of realizing at Christmas, doing music, that I follow so fast people think I’m leading… and that sometimes leads to confusion. Today it was nice to … I don’t know, it was sort of a blend of following fast and leading slowly and somehow pretty much being in the right place.

Then there was the commute home and another one of those “that was boring, but probably becasue I have good ears and experience.” I’m on the Trek with “just” headlight and rear christmas lights & blinkie… no spoke lights. Twice I inferred from the way cars stopped that they dind’t perceive me, and I slowed accordingly, and twice they started forward, slowed a bit (when they saw me?), then went on anyway ’cause we weren’t *that* close. Almost non-events… but I think this is exactly the kind of often mis-called “reflexes” that people develop driving, forget they developed, and then feel scared during that transition period on a bicycle.

… blogging may be a teensy bit difficult in the immediate future as the laptop is very sick and going to hospital. (I do *not* want to deal with Vista.)
Gas 2.41 or 2.58 depending on which corner. Spring break is over- lots and lots of students and bicycles out there.
Blue bike helped me set personal flat-fixing record of four in a week… and two mroe that others helped with, and I think I’m forgetting one or two. Three known dings with little shnerkles that were *very* hard to find. Three dings and you’re out… got a hard-case tyre today. We’ll see how easy it is to mount… but I’ve gotten pretty danged good at this flat fixing schtick. Not quite Indy pit crew…
Animal control picked up my “dangerous dog” statement today. They get the final decision which is OK by me. (I have no reason to think the system’s broken, though this *is* Illinois… and no resources to fix it if it is.) Bruises have gotten to that pale blue-grey color and the rest is dryin’ up like it oughta.
Polished up “blending bicycling into your life” presentation for “professional development” at the college. If I have time I”ll make an HTML version.
Weather channel said a survey said >80% of people felt changinge their behavior could make a difference in climate change. Climb aboard, good people!!

So! Serious cell phone tag – we were both actively trying to call each other at the same time, and getting voicemail – and I’m connected with Faith from animal control. There are five dogs out there with that same “black with some white and brown” description. Three, though, were lab mixes and this critter just didn’t strike me as anything like a lab. Fourth was shepherd… this one just seemed hairier. Fifth is a Rottweiler mix – definitely b est fit and Faith seemed reasonably confident that was the one. Once she said “Rott” I thought “yea… forgot about that kind.”
She said she hadn’t thought of it as dangerous, but that maybe it had a problem with bicyclists and that was a problem. Analyzing the facts I figured that even if it weren’t dangerous to her, I have to file a dangerous dog complaint. Yes, it’s a pain for the owners… but the fact is that I *should* be limping still, and people do ride bikes out there.
She was also aware that I’d emailed tbe bike club (small town ) and asked that I be sure to update them (done). Yes, it took some time – but yes, they took action (and never gave me the third degree).
Rode out to Philo today between flats. Hmmm… flat the day after that harder-than-shoulda-been ride last Saturday, fixed to ride it Friday, flat this morning and flat again on the ride back. *Think* it was a pinch along the sidewall for the most recent one. (Yes, inspected the tire, which isn’t that old.) Also managed to knot up the chain (when I flipped the bike upright to release the brakes) so that it took the *guys* five minutes and wheel remove it to get it right
Good news: I’m almost fast with fixing those things. Gotta slow down enough to not leave out the steps, though…

thunderboomers right now – maybe metric, mebbe not. Might just stick to Gazelle… she’s been more dependable…

This just in
Camargo United Methodist Church Parsonage
106 S Mill St
Camargo, IL 61919

According to a reliable source, Saturday, April 28th, there will be a BLESSING OF THE BIKES at Camargo United Methodist Church at 11:00 am.

A completely unresearched route is at URL for this route is: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=796537 – it’s 24 miles from Meadowbrook Park… a great little day trip… (hmmm… something tells me my Saunterers won’t *quite* be ready for that, tho’.)

Day of good drivers. went out for a “test the new bike” ride and did laps around campus; on the way drivers were overtly intelligent. What gives? (Oh… spring break – lower student ratio??) Little stuff like letting me know that even though they’d started moving through the intersection, they’d seen me so that slowing down was real…
Now it’s rainging; 200 mileweek might not happen. Only one solution: try for next week!

Google overseas is giving employees bicycles. Don’t know about this side of the pond.
http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2039988,00.html#article_continue

Sounds like a nifty trend idea…

Nice commute in on Gazelle, tho’ could have taken the trek since the rain stopped for me. Burning question: how to turn a Powerpoint into something I can do without a computer? Hmmm… remember those three-panel Science Fair stand-up displays? (Cardboard in my day, now some hi-tech weird stuff which by all rights should be made from recycled bicycle tyres.) I’ll find a way to do an online version, too – stretch out my Flash skills

Support the bicycle commuter act:
http://capwiz.com/lab/issues/alert/?alertid=8647031